


The Hollow Men

by masterassassin



Series: Breathe, Breathe, Believe [2]
Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: (Don't Fear) The Reaper Ending (Cyberpunk 2077), Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Bullshit Science, Codependency, Cyberpunk 2077 Slang, Cyberpunk 2077 Spoilers, Dry Humping, Eventual Smut, Fix-It, Johnny gets a body, M/M, Resolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, both V and Johnny live, set immediately after (Don't Fear) The Reaper, so much of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:22:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29228406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masterassassin/pseuds/masterassassin
Summary: “Hold on, what about Johnny?”Johnny groans. “Here we go.”“What happens to him is entirely dependent on your choice,” Alt says. “As it stands now, he could take over your body as it would accept him as its new owner without problems. Or, should you decide to keep your body, he can merge with cyberspace and become a part of me.”Johnny spreads his arms wide and looks expectantly at V.“No, no. That can’t be it,” V mumbles, “There has to be another way.”--My own try at a fix-it fic. What if there was a way to save both V and Johnny?A sequel to my previous work in this series.
Relationships: Johnny Silverhand/Male V, Johnny Silverhand/V
Series: Breathe, Breathe, Believe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145981
Comments: 23
Kudos: 166





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As promised I'm back with a (much longer than intended) sequel.  
> This is set immediately after (Don't Fear) The Reaper, just before V enters Mikoshi.  
> The first part of this chapter is largely retelling part of what happens in the game (sorry about that) but I needed it to set the scene. That's why you're getting the first two chapters at once.  
> I'll upload the remaining chapters over the next few days. And don't worry, the story is already completely finished so i won't leave you hanging ;)

V’s entire body feels like it’s on fire as he jacks into Mikoshi’s access point. This was without a doubt the hardest battle he ever fought in his life. But somehow he did it. Alone, one man against Arasaka.  _ Like a true Night City legend…  _ The words reverberate through his skull.

“Don’t know how… but it worked,” V mumbles, if to himself or Johnny who’s standing by his side, he doesn’t even know.

Alt instructs him to lie down in the pool of coolant and the last thing V sees before all the pain subsides and he loses consciousness is Johnny, kneeling above him.

“See ya on the other side.”

V blinks, and suddenly he’s in an elevator going up. All the pain is gone and he feels strangely empty. There’s no sign of Johnny, not next to him and also not in his head. An unexpected flash of panic hits V.

He stumbles out of the elevator and up the two flights of stairs, only stopping to pet the two identical cats meowing at him from the steps. Or maybe they’re bakeneko, V isn’t quite sure. He steps out onto the terrace overlooking Night City and walks up to the balustrade where he picks up his necklace.

V holds it up, the city’s lights reflect off the gleaming bullet and then his vision tilts.

He’s standing on one end of a long bridge, a bright yellow beam of light is beckoning him closer. There’s no doubt he’s in cyberspace now.

V walks towards the light while Alt is speaking to him, it’s a poem and V thinks it might be T. S. Eliot, though he can’t remember the title.

Johnny is standing at the end of a platform, overlooking the black abyss of nothingness. V reaches out for him, touches his shoulder, and the relief that rushes through him as his hand makes contact and Johnny turns around is indescribable. 

V beams at Johnny as he hits him with a snarky remark before glitching away and V follows, finally able to.

They’re sitting on a table, Johnny puts his feet up like he owns the place and a moment later Alt appears next to them.

“Hey Alt, so seeing as we seem to have the soul-splitting outta the way, what’s next?”

Hearing the AI explain that she hit him with Soulkiller and turned him into an engram as well doesn’t really come as a shock to V. She had to separate them somehow after all. Still, it’s strange to imagine. Johnny seems delighted that for once V also gets to experience what it’s like to be reduced to ones and zeroes.

Then Alt says, “There is one aspect I failed to take into account.” and V’s blood runs cold. Of course. There was no way it was gonna be that easy.

Johnny pulls his aviators off and frowns. “Alt? What?”

Alt starts to explain how, over the last few weeks, the Relic and all the medications V took damaged his body too much for his own psyche to stay in it. How Johnny’s engram basically made it its own and drove his body to a point where it would now reject V’s own mind.

V buries his head in his hands and laughs. The sound is raw and ugly. Defeated.

“After I transfer the construct into your body, you will have about six months to live, but ultimately you will die. It is inevitable.”

“Now hold the fuck up,” Johnny interrupts and stands up, “You just said V’s engram integrity is still high and that you can transfer it back into his brain.”

“It is V’s brain that is the unstable factor here,” Alt explains again. V gets the impression of a mother berating a stubborn toddler.

“Give it up, Johnny. It is how it is.”

“No, V! Shut the hell up! You didn’t just fight your way through ‘Saka Tower solo just to die of what’s essentially a cyberware malfunction. There has to be a way!”

Johnny starts pacing up and down next to the table, Alt and V just watching him.

Eventually, Alt speaks up.

“There is one possibility, but the chances V won’t survive are very high.”

“Spit it out, Alt!” Johnny slaps his hands on the table and V looks up.

“It would involve killing V’s body, to the point that he is also braindead, while I hold on to his engram. Then I can try resurrecting him after I injected his psyche back into his brain. The stress on his mind and body will be extreme.”

“How are these chances?” V asks.

“The probability that you will survive is at five point eight percent.”

Johnny blows out a low whistle. “That’s slim.”

“How would it work?” V looks up at Alt.

“After safely storing your engram within me, I would send a strong electric impulse through the coolant your body is currently resting in. The shock should kill you instantly. Then I will overwrite the chip that housed Johnny’s engram with your own psyche. After that I will try to reanimate you with another electric shock. Due to a number of unforeseeable factors, I am unable to determine the exact state your body will be in should you wake up again. It is needless to say that you will have to see a ripperdoc as fast as possible.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Johnny says and V nods.

“If I don’t do it I’d die anyway. It’s a no-brainer.”

“There is one more aspect,” Alt speaks up again, “Given that I was unable to create an engram of V’s mind before this point, it will remain as it is now. Meaning, the part of Johnny’s psyche that has already become intertwined with yours will stay.”

“What’s that mean exactly?” V asks, “Is it just gonna be like it was now except I won’t be dying anymore?”

“No. Since Johnny’s engram will be removed, you won’t be able to communicate with him anymore. What remains will be his memories, some characteristics and habits are likely. It is impossible to project how much exactly and if it could have unforeseen side-effects.”

V’s head is spinning. He’s become so used to the way he’s speaking to Johnny in his mind, to seeing him around, even being able to touch and feel him in the end, that giving all of that up seems impossible. Even if it means he’ll live.

“I should remind you,” Alt continues, “the chances that you will be able to live a fairly normal life are very slim.”

V hums, “Yeah, I know. Just... gimme a minute.”

“The choice is all yours,” Johnny says, V waves at him to shut up.

V scrubs his hands over his face with a heavy sigh. Deep down he knows he’s already made his decision, but facing that high a probability of dying and not being able to do anything about it isn’t easy.

Then, suddenly, it occurs to V that they haven’t gone over a very important part of the whole equation yet.

“Hold on, what about Johnny?”

Johnny groans. “Here we go.”

“What happens to him is entirely dependent on your choice,” Alt says. “As it stands now, he could take over your body as it would accept him as its new owner without problems. Or, should you decide to keep your body, he can merge with cyberspace and become a part of me.”

Johnny spreads his arms wide and looks expectantly at V.

“No, no. That can’t be it,” V mumbles, “There has to be another way.”

“C’mon V. You heard her. Can’t expect a happy ending for everyone.”

“You don’t get it,” V spits out, “That’s exactly what I was afra—what I wanted to avoid.”

Now it’s V’s turn to pace the length of the table.

“Johnny was just an engram on a chip for over fifty years. He can be saved back on a biochip, right?”

“Technically, yes,” Alt confirms.

“Gee, thanks.”

“Shut up, Johnny.” V turns back to Alt. “So lets say I get him a new body. Could I not just slot the chip in it and he’d be good to go? That’s basically how  _ Secure Your Soul _ is supposed to work, right?”

“That is the general idea of it, and yes, it should work.”

“You have control over the manufacturing floor and all of Mikoshi. You can create a new Relic and—”

“Do I get a say in this?” Johnny cuts in and V snaps his mouth shut, glaring at Johnny. “Not that I’m not touched, V, but did you for one second think about how you’ll get your hands on the chip? Alt can create it, sure, but then someone has to come get it and as I understand it, and correct me if I’m wrong here, you’ll basically be a vegetable after Alt revives you. If you even live at all! Christ, V!”

V grinds his teeth, Johnny is right. If Alt even manages to revive him, he’ll wake up in Arasaka’s bowels, most definitely in immense pain, probably unable to walk. Who knows, maybe it’ll be so bad he’ll just pass out again right away. There’s no guarantee whatsoever.

“Alt, can you contact communication systems outside of Arasaka Tower?”

“It depends,” the AI answers dutifully. “If there’s a way for me to access the system from within. Some sort of port or interface.”

“I have my phone on my body. It has all my contacts. Would that work?”

“Possibly. Since you are jacked into Mikoshi and your optics are linked to your phone, I should be able to find a way.”

“Alt, can you give us a minute?” Johnny interjects and sits down on top of the table. The AI just nods and disappears.

“This is madness, V. The chances you make it out of here alive after Alt shocks you are vanishingly low as it is. No need to pile another problem on top.”

“But there  _ is  _ a chance.” V crosses his arms and leans back.

“And what if you don’t wake up and just flatline in that pool? I’ll be stuck on another biochip and who knows what the next person who gets their hands on it will do. Not exactly a thrilling prospect.”

“I’ll tell Alt to contact Rogue. If I don’t make it, she can grab the chip.”

“Fucking hell, V…” Johnny sighs.

“Don’t you want to live? Have an actual body again?”

“You know it’s not gonna be that easy. Getting me a new bod. If we, and it’d be a fucking miracle, even make it that far. My corpse has been rotting under a trash pile in the oil fields for five decades. You’d have to start from scratch.”

V squares his jaw. “I know.”

“You’re a stubborn motherfucker, you know that.”

“Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

Johnny is silent for a while, then he gets back up from the table with a long sigh.

“Alright, fuck it. Let’s do it. But you better survive and don’t leave me stranded on a biochip.”

“I’ll try my best.” V smiles grimly at him. “Alt?”

The AI reappears next to them.

“Can you access my contacts and notify Rogue Amendiares about what’s going on? And maybe get Delamain as well. We’ve been on a similar mission before, he’ll know what to do.”

“I will try my best. I see, you two have decided which path to take.”

V nods firmly.

“Then I shall explain what you will have to do should you survive. I will access the manufacturing floor to create a new Relic with Johnny’s construct. The floor is fully automated so I can control all aspects of it until the very end. After completion, the chip will be stored in a neural environment chamber in a laboratory on the floor above Mikoshi’s access point. You will have to retrieve the chip and store it in a neuro-enviro transport case until it can be slotted back into a body. I can relay the relevant information to Miss Amendiares should you not survive.”

“Please.”

“Very well. If you are sure I will begin. I am just completing a full checkup of V’s engram.”

V gets up to stand next to Johnny, who has his back turned to him.

“So this is it then?”

“Yep.”

Johnny turns towards him.

V holds out his hand. “See you on the other side,” he repeats Johnny’s words from earlier.

Johnny grabs his hand and pulls him into a hug.

“Stupid gonk.” There’s no heat behind his words, and V dares to think it sounds almost affectionate.

“Ready?” V takes a step back. Johnny gives him a curt nod.

“Then I will begin,” Alt says, “Good luck, V.”

The colors around V seem to explode in intensity, and then everything goes dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent like an hour reading up on tarot for this. I still have no idea if it actually makes any sense and every page said something else. Please forgive potential errors.  
> Also, hurray bullshit science!

Pain, all-encompassing pain, is what rips V out of unconsciousness. He can’t see, he can’t breathe, and every movement only hurts more.  _ At least you can move. _ Johnny’s voice echoes around his skull and V tries to scream back,  _ Help me!  _ But the voice is just a memory. There’s no reply.

V manages to move his right arm and hits something solid, a wall. Everything is sluggish, he’s still in the pool and he needs to get out. He can’t breathe.

He reaches up, grabs a ledge and pulls with all strength he can muster. Eventually, his head breaks through the surface of the coolant. V sucks in a desperate breath and it hurts,  _ fuck, it hurts! _ He tries to blink his eyes open, but it doesn’t work. He still can’t move his left arm.

V tries to call out for Alt, but nothing comes out. He tries again, desperately clutching to the ledge. What comes out is barely more than a whimper.

“V? Can you hear me?” The AI’s voice comes to life, but it sounds dull and faraway to V’s ears.

“Help me,” he croaks, barely audible, but it must have been enough for Alt to pick up.

“About two meters to your right is a shallower part of the pool. You should be able to get out of the coolant there.”

V drags himself to the right, his hand hits another ledge and with what feels like the last of his strength he pulls and kicks himself out of the pool. He rolls onto his back and a harsh coughing fit wrecks through him.

“Alt,” V wheezes, “I can’t see. And I can’t move my left arm.”

“The electric shocks short-circuited some of your cyberware. However, your Kiroshi optics have inbuilt emergency functionality. You should regain limited vision in your left eye shortly.”

“How’s Johnny? D-Did you—”

“I have successfully created a new Relic with his engram.”

“Good.” V rolls to his side and pushes himself upright with his functioning arm. The pain that shoots through him is so intense it makes him gag.

V blinks hard and, as promised, he’s now able to tell that there are lights around him, flashing red.

“There is an emergency elevator outside the room,” Alt informs him, and V begins to crawl his way towards it.

It seems like a small eternity has passed when V finally makes it to the sliding doors and collapses inside the elevator. Alt sets it in motion and takes him one floor up.

“Miss Amendiares has just entered the building,” Alt says as the doors slide open. V has never been so glad to hear her name.

“Thank God,” V croaks, “lead her to the Relic, okay.”

“As you wish.”

Then V begins to make his own way to the neural chamber.

V isn’t sure how he eventually makes it to the lab. Every step sends blinding hot pain through his entire body and he feels like he’s going to pass out any second now. Alt helped in opening every door on the way and leading him along the shortest route.

“You have reached the laboratory. The neural environment chamber is in the back of the room. Transport cases are stored on a shelf to your left.”

“Thanks, Alt.”

V drags himself to the shelf and pulls one of the cases off it. The sudden momentum makes him stumble backwards and crash into a table.

“V?” Rogue suddenly appears in V’s limited field of vision. She’s heavily armoured and has her iron at the ready.

“Hi Rogue,” V rasps just before his legs give out.

Rogue is by his side in an instant. She lifts him back up and drags his right arm over her shoulder.

“What the hell happened to you?”

V ignores her question in favor of hinting towards the neural chamber. “The biochip. Grab it, put it in the case. Please. Make sure… case integrity… is at one hundred.” V coughs again. His lungs are burning.

He has to give it to Rogue that she does what he told her without question before returning to his side.

“Vik, please, I—” Another coughing fit interrupts him.

“Yeah, no shit, V.” The concern in Rogue’s voice is almost palpable.

“A Delamain vehicle is outside waiting for you,” Alt informs them.

“Thanks,” V whispers. Then his vision fizzes out again and he’s gone.

  
  


V comes to again when he’s being lifted into a car. He can hear Delamain’s voice like it’s coming from very far away. Then there’s Rogue’s and he hears them talk about Vik’s clinic.  _ Good, _ V thinks, and then he’s out once more.

It’s probably a positive sign that V wakes up two more times while he’s still in the car. There’s no way for him to judge how much time has passed when it happens, but the drive from Arasaka tower to Misty’s isn’t long.

Suddenly, there’s a commotion around him. He’s still in the car, but it isn’t moving anymore and there are more voices.

“Don’t move him yet! Let me give him a sedative first.” Vik.

“Can you store this somewhere safe and monitor the status of the case?” Rogue.

“Of course!” And Misty.

Then the sharp jolt of an airhypo hits V and everything goes quiet.

  
  


“We really need to stop meeting like this lately, V. You know you can just drop by like the average person for a chat, right?” 

V isn’t sure if it was Vik’s voice that roused him or something else.

“‘M not average,” he mumbles. His mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton and when he tries to open his eyes, he can’t. 

“Easy, V,” Vik says, he must be monitoring his vitals. “Don't worry, your eyes should be fine. The Kiroshi’s took a real beating, though. It really strained your optic nerves, so I removed them for now to give your eyes some rest. They’re just bandaged to keep light out now.”

“Okay,” V rasps.

“Let me get you some water.”

V listens to Viktor’s retreating steps. A minute later they return.

“Here.” A cool metal straw touches V’s lips and he takes a few careful sips of water.

“How long was I out for? Can I sit up?”

“Carefully. Lemme help you.” One of Vik’s arms wraps around V's shoulders and pulls him upright. “And not too long, actually. About two days. And that was mostly my doing. It was like your body wanted to spring back into action right away. I thought it’s probably better you get some more rest first.”

“Thanks, Vik. Really. I owe you big time. Again.”

“It’s alright, V. Honestly, I almost expected you to turn up dead. So I’m just glad it didn’t come to that.”

V rolls his wrists and shoulders, there’s a twinge in his left side and his head is pounding, but besides that he doesn’t feel too awful.

“So, how’s my verdict?”

Vik’s chair creaks as he rolls across the floor. “Compared to the last time you were here? Fantastic! Disregarding all that, well, you could be better. Your optics got fucked to all hell so you’ll definitely need new ones. Your left arm lost some function, nothing too tragic but I think you’ll probably want to look into getting it upgraded, too.”

“What about my brain?”

“Well, bad news is your frontal cortex got kinda scrambled. You’ll probably experience some delay while scanning and hacking into systems. But nothing that can’t be fixed in time. The good news, you ain’t dying anymore, kid.”

V releases the breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding. Alt really did it.

“I have no idea how that’s even possible,” Vik says, “What the hell went down inside Arasaka, V?”

“I… I jacked into the mainframe. I was inside Mikoshi and the AI, Alt, separated Johnny’s and my psyche. Then she killed me, well, she killed my body, with a strong electric shock. “

“Shit, V… the chances that you’re even alive now…”

“I know. Alt said there was a five point eight percent chance she’d be able to revive me.”

“So, what then?” Vik asks. “She reprogrammed your brain?”

“Kinda like a reset, yeah. She overwrote Johnny’s engram with my own.”

“Damn…” Viktor’s chair creaks again. “Alright, lemme get those bandages off your eyes. Don’t be alarmed, your vision will be blurry for a while, light sensitivity is a given. Virgin eyes and all.”

“Sure, Vik.”

  
  


“Okay,” Vik says after he removed the gauze, “Now that we got this out of the way, wanna tell me what’s in the case Misty and Rogue haven’t left out of their sight since you got here?”

“Rogue stayed here?” V asks, surprised.

“Nah, but she dropped by a few times. Checks in on ya.”

“She’s gonna have questions.”

“Everyone has questions, kid. Hell, you went into Arasaka Tower solo and came out the other side alive! What’s in the blasted case, V?”

V shifts uneasily. “A biochip. New one. With Johnny’s engram.”

“What?” Somehow Viktor manages to look shocked, angry and intrigued all at once.

“It’s…” But V doesn’t even know what to say.  _ It’s complicated.  _ But is it really? Luckily, he’s spared from replying, at least for the time being, when Misty appears in the door.

“V! You’re awake.” She walks over to join them and sits down on the edge of V’s cot. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty alright, all things considered.”

“That’s great news, V. Vik said the chip isn’t killing you anymore.”

“Yeah,” V gives her a quick smile. “It’s only myself in my head now.”

Misty scoots closer to him and grabs one of V’s hands. “I laid out a quick tarot and it’s—I don’t really know what to make of it, V. The Fool - reversed, symbolizing recklessness but also holding back. The Moon - fear, uncertainty. The Hanged Man - also reversed. Indecision, but also a sign that you should slow down. And finally, Death.”

“A major change,” V says and Misty nods.

“These aren’t bad cards, V. But you need to be careful. Take a step back.”

“I’ll try my best,” V says and squeezes her hand.

“Rogue called earlier, asked how you are. You should give her a call when you feel up for it.”

“Sure thing. Thanks, Misty.”

Misty releases his hand with a gentle smile and steps aside to talk to Viktor. V dangles his legs off the cot and takes a few deep breaths. He’s craving a smoke, which is odd, but V guesses it’s one of the side-effects of keeping part of Johnny’s psyche inside himself. Johnny would be absolutely delighted to know he gave V a nicotine addiction, bad influence and asshole extraordinair that he is.

V spots his phone on top of a pile of some of his other belongings and reaches over to grab it. He squints his eyes against the harsh light when the screen turns on. Vik wasn’t kidding about the light sensitivity. 

He has five new messages. One from Delamain, two from Rogue, and one each from Kerry and Judy. Kerry also tried to call him.

Delamain’s is just the automated one he got when the cab was ready to pick him up from Arasaka. 

Rogue’s messages must have arrived after Alt contacted her via his contacts. The first one reads:  _ What the hell is going on, V?  _ And the second, received only a few minutes later, is simply  _ I’m on my way. _

Kerry’s message came through about a day and a half ago.   
_ Hey V, I tried to call but it didn’t go through… anyway, I got your cat. Hope you’re alright. Call me!  _ _   
_ Attached is a photo of Nibbles curled up on Kerry’s bed. 

Judy’s text is only a few hours old.   
_ Just got the news of what went down in Arasaka Tower. You better not have anything to do with that… _

V sighs and sends a quick reply to both Kerry and Judy, just to let them know he’s alright and that he’ll ring them later. Then he calls Rogue.

“Hey, V,” she greets him, “Back in the land of the living, I see?”

V chuckles, “Yeah, Vik patched me back up. As usual.”

“He’s good at that.”

“Yep. Listen, Rogue, can you come over to Vik’s clinic? I gotta talk to both of you.” V catches Viktor’s questioning look from across the room and gives him a quick nod. 

Rogue is silent for a moment but then she says, “Give me half an hour” and hangs up.

  
  


“And then you found me,” V finishes his tale of what happened inside Arasaka and Mikoshi about an hour later. Rogue is leaning against Vik’s workbench, arms crossed, while Viktor is in his chair, rubbing his temple with a frown.

“Christ, V, that was all kinds of stupid. Even for you! And bringing Johnny back, really?”

“Thanks Vik,” V says dryly.

“He’s right,” Rogue agrees with the ripperdoc, “It was a suicide run wrapped in another suicide run.”

“I was gonna die anyway. Didn’t make a difference.”

“Maybe not to you, V. But you got friends in NC, you know what.”

“Didn’t wanna have another choom’s death on my conscience,” V says grimly. 

Rogue pushes away from the bench with a long sigh.

“Alright. I’m gonna start contacting people. But I hope you know that getting Johnny a new body won’t be quick, or cheap.”

“Won’t be easy, either,” Vik adds, “We’re not talking body modification here. This is reconstruction from scratch. We’ll need a titanium skeleton, vat-grown muscle, synth organs, nerves and skin. Not to mention bio-plastic blood vessels to keep the muscle tissue alive.”

“I’m aware,” V says.

“At least we won’t have a hard time getting his biometrics.” Rogue’s eyes are glowing bright yellow as she’s no doubt already sifting through databases. “Arasaka kept a close eye on him. Got all his data.”

“I just don’t understand why,” Vik says, “Why bring him back?”

Heat starts crawling up V neck and he grips the cot’s edge harder. It’s the question he’s been afraid of. His gaze shifts from Vik to a corner of the room, and then he catches Rogue’s eyes. Her expression is unreadable.

“That’s the thing about Johnny Silverhand,” she says without looking away, “Once you get to know him it’s hard to let him go. No matter how big of an asshole he is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it so far.  
> The next chapter will be up soon :)
> 
> Comments and kudos are love <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more on the short side so I decided to just post two at once again :)

V takes a few more days to recover. Vik implants him a brand new set of Kiroshi’s and he gets his left arm fixed. Then he spends the next two weeks taking every NCPD and fixer job he possibly can to scrunch up eddies.

Rogue managed to find the best and most discreet body reconstruction specialist in Night City, and Vik begrudgingly agreed to work with her after V promised him full compensation and a big bonus.

All in all, it’s as Rogue said, it won’t come cheap. But V works out a good deal with Dino and sells him his black Caliburn for a whopping hundred and twenty grand. He pawns off a few of his heavily modified but little used pistols and rifles, some clothes, as well as most of his blades.

Rogue actually offered V a loan of sorts, but V refused. It’s a matter where he’d rather not be in her debt. Also, he’d never hear the end of it should Johnny ever get wind of that.

It’s a little over three weeks later when V gets the call that they’re ready to put in the chip. He just got another of Regina’s cyberpsycho jobs done and is puffing away at a cigarette (honestly,  _ fuck  _ Johnny) outside the apartment complex the guy holed up in. His heart jumps into his throat, he drops his cigarette butt and stomps it out on the floor. V gets on the Kusanagi he bought for cheap from Wakako and speeds across the city to his apartment to retrieve the case with the biochip. Then he orders Delamain to pick him up and drop him off at the well-hidden warehouse unit they rented for Vik and the specialist to use.

V gets out of the cab, tells the AI to be on standby, and slips through the concealed entrance. As he gets closer to the remodelled operating room, he hears Vik’s voice.

“I still don’t get why V’s doing it. Silverhand fucked his brain and tried to zero him.”

“It’s not that easy, Vik,” Misty’s calm voice replies. She’s been dropping by every once in a while to check on Vik.

“How? A guy’s construct tries to flatline me, I don’t go and resurrect him first chance I get. Especially when said guy used to be a well-known terrorist.” Vik sounds beyond exasperated.

“V and Johnny shared a unique bond. They must have formed quite an intimate relationship over the weeks they spent in one body. Just imagine how it must be to share your innermost thoughts and feelings with someone. Your memories. And you’re forgetting that Johnny also saved V’s life. Several times.”

“You make it sound like they were lovers.” Vik laughs, but Misty stays silent.

V’s ears are ringing. Damn Misty and her acute sense of perception and intuition.

Vik stopped laughing and V is so distracted he trips over a wayward ammo box and can no longer hide his presence. He steps through the plastic curtain separating the room from the hall.

“Hey V,” Misty greets him immediately and gets up to give him a hug. V returns it tentatively and nods at Vik over her shoulder. He hopes he doesn’t look as red in the face as he feels, but neither Misty nor Vik seem to suspect he heard them talking. 

“How’s it look?” V asks the specialist who’s leaning over Johnny’s body’s torso. She refused to give them her name and no one pressed her for it. Now she straightens up, blows out a bubblegum bubble and lets it pop.

“The nanites are just finishing up fusing the cybernetic arm with the organic and synth tissue,” she says in German, V’s implant providing an instant translation. “No idea why you insist on using that one. The tech is ancient.”

“Don’t let Johnny hear that,” comes another voice from the doorway.

“Hey Rogue,” V greets her.

“V.”

V had dug up Johnny’s old arm in the oil fields after one of Rogue’s contacts mentioned that it never turned up anywhere after his death. 

“How we lookin'?” Rogues asks, and the specialist waves her hand.

“Just about done.”

“Alright. I still think this is a bad idea, but whatever. V, the case?” Vik gets up to join the girl at the operating table.

V hands him the neuro-enviro case. 

“Okay, my work here is done,” the specialist says with a last look at her data screen. Her fluorescent green eyes wander over Johnny’s naked body. Only his middle is covered with a light blue pair of boxers. Rogue had laughed the first time she’d seen him like that. As if Johnny would mind lying there with his dick out.

V has to admit that Rogue’s contact scouring definitely paid off. The specialist did an impeccable job. Johnny looks exactly like V remembers him. She even replicated all of his tattoos on the synthetic skin.

“Excellent work,” Rogue says, as if she’s reading V’s mind.

“I only do excellent work,” the specialist retorts and Rogue only nods.

“Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen,” Vik says as he pulls up a chair to sit down by Johnny’s head. “He’s hooked up to the scanner. As soon as I slot in the chip, we should start to get brain activity. If this chip is anything like the one in your head, the effect should be immediate. Now listen, since neither of you were around for the last rodeo,” Vik gestures towards V and Rogue, “don’t expect him to wake up right away. It’s probably not gonna happen for another day or two.”

V crosses his arms. They’ve gone over this several times, but he can’t help feeling nervous. Misty appears next to him and puts a reassuring hand on his arm.

“Let’s go.”

Vik opens the case with a mechanical hiss and tilts Johnny’s head to the side to slot in the biochip. Everyone seems to be holding their breath as they wait for the sensors to pick up any sort of activity.

And then there’s a spike. A second screen pops up moments later, scrolling out readings similar to those V remembers seeing projected by his own Kiroshi’s when he woke up again after being shot. He takes an instinctive step closer.

“Looking good,” Vik mumbles, more to himself than anyone in the room. “The chip is copying data into the brain. No snags so far. Body functions are starting up as well. Lungs should start up about… now.”

V redirects his eyes to Johnny’s body just in time to see his chest rise and fall for the first time. Only a second later his fingers begin to twitch, first on his flesh hand, then on the cybernetic one as well. His eyes start moving under closed lids and soon he no longer looks like a lifeless body, but rather like he’s sleeping and experiencing a particularly intense dream.

“Alright,” Vik says eventually, “he’s stable. We can take him off bio support now.” He starts jacking out several links and removes two additional scanners.

“He can’t stay here,” Rogue starts, but V’s thought this through already.

“I’ll take him over to my place,” he says, “I have Delamain on standby, he’ll drive us over. No one even bats an eye when you drag an unconscious body through a Megabuilding.”

“It will be good for him to wake up in a familiar place, too,” Misty says. Behind her Vik huffs disparagingly. She shoots him a sharp look.

“Lemme help you carry him to the cab,” Rogue says and together they lift Johnny from the table. V pulls his metal arm over his shoulders and Rogue holds him up around the waist.

Delamain is waiting and opens a door for them when they approach. Together they position Johnny in the backseat and V gets in beside him.

“Keep me posted, V.”

“Will do,” V says. “I bet he’s gonna wanna drop by the Afterlife as soon as he wakes up anyway.”

Rogue laughs, “We’ll see. Take care, V.”

“You too, Rogue.”

V instructs Delamain to drop them off in the garage. He pulls off his jacket and puts it on Johnny to not draw any unwanted attention because of his metal arm. He gets out of the car and takes the elevator to his floor. As V thought, no one is even paying him any mind.

In his apartment, V lies Johnny down on his bed. He takes his jacket off him again and drapes a thin blanket over him. Then he pulls his personal link from his wrist and jacks it into Johnny’s neural port to check his biomonitor for any changes. Now V’s no ripperdoc, but Vik told him what to pay close attention to and so he can tell that Johnny remained stable.

V jacks out again with a deep sigh. Nibbles hops up on the mattress and V picks her up and holds her to his chest.

“And now, we wait…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a brief mention of vomit in this chapter

V waits for close to two days. He orders food so he doesn’t have to leave his apartment and kills time watching TV. Every few hours he jacks into Johnny’s biomon to check his vitals and at night he blames not having his bed only to himself when he wakes up every two hours in a cold sweat.

He catches up with Judy and Kerry and ultimately ends up explaining the whole story to them. Judy seems to think he’s gone absolutely batshit insane, and Kerry’s reaction makes V think the guy doesn’t even really know how he’s feeling about it himself.

It’s still the middle of the night when V gets ripped out of sleep once again, but this time something’s different. He turns the light on to a dim setting and gets ready to check on Johnny once more when he notices the other man is no longer lying on his back like V left him. Instead, he’s curled up on his side and there’s a deep frown on his face.

V’s fingers are shaking as he carefully jacks into Johnny’s neural port, and his heart leaps in his chest when the readings tell him Johnny is no longer in an unconscious state but merely asleep and dreaming.

He jacks back out, pulls his knees to his chest and waits.

Eventually, Johnny mumbles something in his sleep, his cybernetic arm jerks hard, almost hitting V, and then he jolts awake, sitting up in one go.

His dark hair is hanging in his face in a tangled mess and he’s breathing hard. He looks around, obviously disoriented, and then his gaze falls on the books on V’s shelf and eventually V himself.

“V?” Johnny asks. His voice sounds rough, his synthetic vocal chords obviously not having been used yet, but it’s undoubtedly Johnny Silverhand’s voice.

“Hey Johnny,” V says, not trusting his own voice above a whisper.

Johnny just stares at him for a moment, then he suddenly lurches forward and clutches V’s hand with his own. His grip is near bruising. He lifts his metal hand as well and presses it against V’s bare chest.

“Is this real?”

V just nods.

“Fuck,” Johnny breathes out softly and lets his head fall against V’s sternum.

V doesn’t know how long they stay that way, but eventually Johnny’s breathing evens out and he lifts his head. He takes his left hand off V’s chest and cards it through his hair.

“Fuck,” he repeats.

“How—” V has to clear his throat. “How do you feel?”

“Like shit.”

V chuckles. “Yeah, Vik and the specialist said that’s likely.”

“A specialist, huh?”

“Yeah, well, most ripperdocs don’t build an entire body from scratch every day.”

Johnny only hums in reply. His fingers twitch around V’s hand.

“Let me get you some water,” V says, “You’re dehydrated.”

Johnny slowly releases V’s hand and V gets up to get a glass from the bathroom sink. When he returns, Johnny is staring at his hands in his lap, turning them over to look at them from all sides.

“You found my old arm.”

“Dug it out of the trash pile that served as your grave in the oil fields. Thought you might appreciate it.” V hands him the glass of water and Johnny takes it with his left.

“Hmh, thanks, V.”

V watches Johnny set the glass down on one bare knee, then he runs the fingers of his right hand through the condensation, gathering moisture.

“Never thought I’d feel that again.”

V feels a lump form in his throat, he tries to swallow it away but his voice still sounds off when he says, “Drink. Vik said it’s important. Get your system runnin’ and all.” He clears his throat.

Johnny lifts the glass and does as he’s told. The first sip makes him cough slightly but a moment later he’s eagerly drinking down the water. Once the glass is empty he sets it back down on his knee.

“How am I—how did—” Johnny interrupts himself and starts again. “What parts of me are—”

“You mean how much of you is  _ real? _ ” V helps him out, putting air quotes around the last word.

“I guess.”

V sits back down on the bed with a sigh. “We discussed several options. What’s best suited, what’s most effective, most durable. What we could get our hands on on relative short notice. Rogue got the contact of a specialist in body reconstruction and somehow we talked Vik into working with her. In the end we decided on a titanium skeleton but organic muscle. You have a full set of synth organs and nerves, blood vessels are bioplastic. Skin’s fully synthetic as well. We opted for full human homeostasis replication, so you should pretty much function like any standard human being.”

“Meaning I’ll have to eat, drink, piss and shit to stay alive,” Johnny throws in and V bites down on a smile at his annoyed tone.

“Yeah, but you also get all the positives that come with it. As for your biometrics - you actually have to thank Arasaka for that. They had your complete data, but look for yourself.” V gestures towards the bathroom mirror.

Johnny follows his line of sight and slowly gets up from the bed. But he doesn’t even make it halfway across the room before he stumbles and drops to his knees with a muttered “Oh shit.” He starts retching and as V reaches him he’s already throwing up watered down bile.

“Fucking vertigo,” he groans between heaves.

“It’ll pass soon,” V reassures him. “Just your system getting up and running. At least now we know your gut works both ways.”

“Hilarious,” Johnny grunts and lets himself fall onto his ass. “If I’d known what it’s like to get a new body I’d have passed.”

V knows he doesn’t really mean it but he can’t help the tiny sting of hurt he feels at Johnny’s words.

“Wanna try again?” V asks and offers his arm for Johnny to get up. He grips it and lets himself be pulled upright.

“Sorry about the mess,” he mumbles.

“Don’t worry, the place has seen worse.”

“I’m aware.”

“Fuck off.”

Together they stumble to the bathroom and V activates the mirror. Johnny just stares straight ahead for a moment, then he slowly spins around, trying to get a picture of most of his body. Eventually, he leans close and inspects his face. He grimaces at his own reflection.

“You even got my fucking teeth right. And the tattoos.”

V grabs a rag and wipes the puke off the floor, then he chucks it into the trash. He steps up behind Johnny and looks at him in the reflection.

“I should get another reading. I’ve been monitoring your vitals every few hours, Vik sent me a basic med scanner. Just to be sure.”

Johnny meets his eyes through the mirror.

“Alright.” He tilts his head to the side and V brushes his hair out of the way to jack in. The gesture feels incredibly intimate.

“Getting a bunch of readings that make it look like you caught the flu, but that’s just your system adjusting. Other than that it looks fine. We should still call Vik to let him know you woke up. And Rogue. But that can wait until morning.” V jacks back out. “Do you…,” V hesitates, he’s never dealt with a Johnny who has actual human needs before, “Do you wanna take a shower or just get some more rest?”

Johnny doesn’t answer right away but in the end he switches the reflection off and turns around. “I’m still dizzy as fuck. Guess lying down some more isn’t the worst idea. Lemme just take a piss first.”

V nods and leaves Johnny to it. He walks over to the couch and picks up his smokes from the coffee table. He sits down on the couch and lights a cig, inhaling deeply and blowing out the smoke in a long stream.

The toilet flushes and Johnny reappears in the room. He hovers by the sink for a moment, mustering V and V looks back. It’s strange to see Johnny not accompanied by the blue-ish streaks of engram code shimmering around him. It’s like something is missing. It also doesn’t help that he’s still only dressed in boxers. It makes him look vulnerable.

“I’m not sure if I’m more impressed or disturbed that you got my dick right as well,” Johnny effectively kills the moment and V barks out an unexpected laugh. He takes another drag from the cigarette and leans back.

“Can I bum one?” Johnny asks, nodding towards the pack in front of V.

V knows he really shouldn’t but he can’t bring himself to refuse him. He opens the pack and holds it towards Johnny who fishes a stick out and puts it between his lips before sitting down on the couch as well.

V picks up the lighter and Johnny leans closer to light his cigarette.

They smoke in silence for a few minutes.

“Thought you’d stop as soon as I was out of your head,” Johnny says, tipping his head towards the cigarettes.

“Hmh,” V hums.  _ You were never gone,  _ he thinks but doesn’t say. “It’s the part of you that stayed. Gave me a nicotine addiction.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“Nope,” V says and stubs his butt out in the ashtray.

Johnny shakes his head and finishes his cig as well. When he gets up, he stumbles again and V is by his side in an instant.

“Take it easy, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Johnny doesn’t protest when V guides him to the bed.

V is lying with his back turned towards Johnny. He expected the other to already be asleep again but then there’s a warm hand on his shoulder. V shivers.

“V?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

V rolls around to face Johnny, his brown eyes reflect the dim lights of the apartment and V’s at a loss for words. He had almost a month to think about what he’d say to Johnny once he could talk to him again and now here he is, just staring at him speechlessly.

“I never thought it’d work,” V confesses eventually, his voice barely more than a whisper. “That we’d both make it and that I... that I’d be able to touch you in the end.” 

V closes his eyes and waits for Johnny’s reply, but it never comes. Instead, the sheets shift and then Johnny grabs one of V’s hands. V exhales unsteadily.

At last, he falls asleep, Johnny’s hand still a comforting weight on his.


	5. Chapter 5

It’s very early morning when V wakes up. He isn’t surprised to see he only slept for four hours. That’s actually more consecutive sleep than he got over the last few days.

Johnny is still asleep, curled up close to the wall. This time his face is relaxed, there’s no frown creasing his forehead and his lips are slightly parted as he puffs out soft breaths.

Again, V can’t help but just watch him for a few minutes. The way his chest slowly rises and falls, the minute twitches of his fingers, the slight wrinkle of his nose…

V tears his eyes away, he knows he’s on the verge of acting creepy, and grabs his phone from the windowsill. He shoots a quick message to Vik and Rogue, letting them know Johnny woke up and that they’ll probably drop by Vik’s later in the day. Even though it’s only five in the morning Rogue replies almost instantly, letting V know she’ll be there.

V passes the time until Johnny stirs awake catching up on his mail, paying his overdue apartment bill and watching the news on mute.

“You always up that early?” Johnny startles V out of his thoughts at around eight. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, bare feet on the ground, petting Nibbles in her basket.

“Lately? Yeah.”

Johnny hums and as he leans back to stretch, V catches a glimpse of the tent in his boxers. Even though he tries to look away quickly Johnny notices. He smirks and casually adjusts himself.

“You know, I typically sleep naked.”

V just rolls his eyes.

“Nah, but for real, don’t think I’ve ever been that happy to have a hard-on. Means everything’s working right, don’t it?”

V lets it stand at that and just asks “How are you feeling overall?”

Johnny shrugs. “Alright, I guess. Vertigo’s gone, I’m actually kinda hungry and need a piss. All good signs, I suppose. Still got a bit of a headache.”

V nods and then gets up from the couch. “How about you take a shower and I get us some breakfast? What do you want?”

“Don’t care. Haven’t eaten anything in fifty years so it’s prolly all gonna be like heaven.”

“Alright,” V says and walks over to the door. “You know where the towels are. Please don’t pass out in the five minutes I’ll be gone.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“I talked to Vik earlier,” V says a few minutes later, chewing on his eggs and toast, “He said he’d clear his schedule for a few hours in the afternoon to check you over.”

Johnny makes an affirmative sound and lifts his steaming cup of coffee closer to his nose. He’s sitting there in one of V’s tank tops and a pair of faded jeans, hair still dripping from his shower and just inhales the scent of caffeine, quite literally like a man who’d been deprived of this simple pleasure for half a century. 

“Rogue said she’ll be there as well.”

Once they’re done eating V gets up and retrieves a box from his weapon stash. He hands it to Johnny.

“Go on,” he says as Johnny just looks at it for a moment.

Inside the box, in a neat pile, are the replica Samurai jacket, Johnny’s tank, leather pants, shoes and aviators. In a compartment next to it is his Malorian Arms.

“Oh, fuck yes!” Johnny takes the gun and a clip out of the box, slides it in and chambers a round with practiced ease.

“Wanna go to a range later?” V asks with a grin.

“Rather shoot a few gonks right away but that’s probably the better idea.”

“Yeah, let's wait a few more days before you start shooting people again.” V reaches into his pocket then and pulls something out. “There’s one more thing, well two, actually, but I’ll get to the other later.” He holds his hand out to Johnny and Johnny puts his pistol down and opens his palm. V drops his dog tags in it.

Johnny lets them dangle from the chain for a moment, metal catching the light from the sun through the window.

“They were a gift, V. Want you to keep them.” He grabs V’s hand and drops the tags back into it. V closes his fingers around them. He’s about to put them back into his pocket but then thinks better of it and loops the chain around his neck.

“V…,” Johnny starts, he seems to battle with his words, “I have no idea how I’ll ever repay you for all of this.”

V feels something twist in his gut. He knew they’d get to this point eventually, would have to talk about what happened after Mikoshi. He just thought it wouldn’t be this soon.

“‘S fine, Johnny. You can pay for all your upgrades yourself. So far you only have the most basic optics, no links, no extra cyberware…”

“Oh, spare me the horseshit, V. You know this isn’t just about eddies. Though, I’m sure there were a whole lot of those involved as well.”

“It was my decision. I wanted to give you a body, and I didn’t want to half-ass it either. You agreed.” V sets his jaw. Johnny is just looking at him and V finds he can’t hold his gaze. He swallows thickly.

“Stop acting like this ain’t a big deal, V! I heard Alt, you were probably half-dead when you got out of Mikoshi and then as soon as you could stand again you spent the next month resurrecting this dead asshole!” Johnny waves a hand over himself. “And you act like it’s nothing.”

V grits his teeth, the squirmy feeling in his gut has only intensified and so he crosses his arms, leans back and says, “Yeah, well maybe you forgot that you saved my sorry ass twice without even meaning to.”

“Exactly V, I didn’t actually  _ do  _ anything! It was the chip simply rebooting your system. I was just collateral damage.”

“All I know is that I’m only here thanks to you. Frankly, I don’t really give a fuck about the circumstances.”

“So what you’re saying is we’re even?”

“Yes,” V says before Johnny has even finished speaking. “Can we just… not do this today?” 

Johnny leans back as well, mustering V, and after a few minutes he says, “Fine.”

The knots in V’s stomach loosen a little.

They kill a few more hours until it’s time to go visit Vik and the grin that spreads over Johnny’s face when V calls up the Porsche and tells him to take the driver’s seat almost makes V forget about the earlier tension between them entirely.

  
  


Johnny’s check up goes over smoothly. All his synthetic organs are working well, his artificial hormone levels are nominal and overall his condition is even better than expected. It almost feels too good to be true. Even Viktor seems slightly surprised at just how well Johnny’s doing.

While Johnny takes some time to reconnect with Rogue, V wanders over to Misty’s. They catch up and Misty is just about to lay V a quick tarot when Johnny appears and asks if V wants to join him at the shooting range.

Even though he was just cleared for just about every activity V still feels hesitant about leaving Johnny out of his sight for longer stretches of time, so he joins him.

They don’t actually end up at a shooting range, instead they drive out into the Badlands, Johnny absolutely flooring the Porsche’s pedal. Something V never dared to do to the vintage car.

The late afternoon sun is beating down on their backs, there’s no one around for miles and watching Johnny shoot is nothing short of exhilarating. Sure, V’s experienced it through his memories before but it wasn’t anything like this. Seeing him handle his Malorian, the way he twirls it around his fingers to reload, how he pulls back the slide to chamber a fresh round, it’s unreal. And sexy as hell. It makes V’s mouth go dry in a way that has nothing to do with the sun.

When they get back to the apartment in the evening, Johnny throws himself face-first onto the bed with a whoop and V is left standing there just staring at his ass. It takes considerable strength to drag his eyes away and V decides that this is his cue to take a shower. A frigid one.

  
  


It takes a few more days for Johnny to feel completely comfortable leaving the apartment for longer stretches of time and going places, either with V or alone, but after that, so Rogue assures V, Johnny is barely any different from how he used to be. Minus the obsession to take down mega corporations every step he takes. And apparently he also kicked the drinking down a notch after he learned very quickly that his synth organs weren’t any more forgiving than a standard human liver and stomach.

V heard most of this from Rogue. Johnny had started hanging around the Afterlife quite a bit but since V was still busy paying off Vik he spent most of his time taking NCPD and fixer jobs. Johnny took a few odd jobs from Rogue as well, chipping himself with new optics and even paying V half the upcoming rent.

They’d kind of talked about getting Johnny his own apartment once but it quickly became apparent that neither of them actually wanted to spend too much time apart so they’d dropped the topic again. Of course neither of them directly addressed their obvious codependency issue.

This led to a whole new set of problems about two weeks later, though, when Johnny started to get increasingly more irritable and mouthy. At first V wasn’t sure what had gotten into him and even considered contacting Vik about it, but then Johnny dropped a comment about how V himself was infuriatingly pissy lately and V managed to connect the dots.

Good, old-fashioned, sexual frustration.

He’d caught himself just blatantly ogling Johnny more than once over the last few days, couldn’t get that one time they’d mutually jerked off the day before Mikoshi out of his head and took more cold than hot showers by now.

They both just needed to get laid, desperately.

“Let’s go out and blow some steam,” V says one night after he just spent a solid two minutes trying to not stare a hole into Johnny’s, admittedly very muscular, bare back.

“Blow some steam how exactly?” Johnny asks, plops down on the couch and picks up the second hand guitar he bought at Time Machine. V’s also noticed that he developed a strange fascination with Johnny’s hands. The way he plays a six-string, how he handles his gun and holds a cigarette. It’s distracting at best but most of the time it just leads to V fantasising about what those hands could do to him. Christ, V is very glad Johnny isn’t in his head reading his thoughts anymore sometimes.

“You know, just hang at a club. No biz, just a few drinks, see what happens.” V tries to appear nonchalant but he can tell he’s failing at the way Johnny quirks an eyebrow and grins at him.

“Sure, V. Where do you wanna go?”

V shifts from foot to foot, he doesn’t like Johnny’s tone of voice at all. “Somewhere nearby. So we can walk home later.”

Johnny hums and starts playing an unfamiliar tune. “You wanna grab a bite before?”

“Prolly a good idea. Pizza?”

“You know it.”


	6. Chapter 6

They head out around eleven. Johnny threw on his trademark leather pants and V curses him for it. Of course he had to go with the most indecently tight pair he owned.

The club is only a few blocks from the apartment and so it doesn’t take them long to get there.

Despite his frustration V has to admit it feels good to see Johnny as carefree as he’s now. He slides onto a stool at the bar like he’s been to the place a hundred times before and orders two Tequila Old Fashioned for the both of them.

Word has kind of gotten around that Johnny Silverhand is back, but only a handful of people were actually around back in the 20s and the rest usually couldn’t care less. V suspects that a good percentage don’t even believe he’s the real Johnny. And besides, stranger things than a long-forgotten terrorist coming back from the dead have happened in NC.

They both finish their drinks and Johnny orders a second round. V lets his gaze wander over the crowd. He’s earned a bit of a reputation over the last months so it doesn’t take long until he catches a few eyes. Cheeky winks as well as quite obvious invitations are sent his way soon, and when a particularly handsome guy passes by his stool and trails a hand over the small of his back V doesn’t think twice before getting up. 

He downs his drink in one go and joins the guy on the dance floor. But not before he throws one last look at Johnny who’s leaned back against the bar with his arms crossed, amused expression on his face.

V keeps throwing glances at Johnny while he’s dancing with mystery guy. At first he stays alone at the bar but soon he’s joined by a petite woman who’s very clearly coming on to him. Johnny lets her have some fun, V can tell, but then he gets lost in the beat and when he looks back again, the woman is gone.

V loses track of Johnny for a while then and when he spots him again he’s in a booth with a young couple. The chick is sitting in her boyfriend’s lap but both of them are definitely chatting Johnny up. The guy really doesn’t even have to try. 

V’s dance partner seems to have enough of the music then and offers to take V back to his place, but even though this was basically what V came to the club for in the first place he denies and luckily the guy doesn’t seem to mind. He leaves V with a wink and a “Have fun with your choom” after which he nods his head towards Johnny, who’s alone again. V is so caught off guard he flushes bright pink and just splutters a quick goodbye.

He spends some time hiding in the bathroom after that and once his flush has gone back down and V feels a little less like a teenager with a crush he re-enters the club and joins Johnny in his booth.

“Not gonna have some fun with that couple?” V asks and takes a mouthful of the drink Johnny graciously offers him.

“Fuck no, did you see the output’s face? Even I have standards, V.”

“That so, hm?” V asks with a smirk and Johnny just rolls his eyes.

“What about your choomba over on the dance floor?”

“Wasn’t feeling it,” V says, avoiding Johnny’s eyes.

“Really? Because to me it sure seemed like you were moments from rubbing one out against him right then and there.”

“Were paying close attention, huh?” V quips but Johnny is spared from answering when another guy steps up to their booth.

“Hey chicos,” he says sweetly, “can I get you boys another drink? On me of course.”

Johnny answers for them before V even gets the chance and the guy flags down a server and orders more tequila. Then he slides in close next to Johnny, V can see him put his hand on his thigh. Johnny lets him.

“I’m Shane, I’m a bit of a regular and I don’t think I’ve seen the two of you here before. First time?”

“For me, yeah,” Johnny says, “Not for him, though.”

“Oh, you two haven’t been together long?” Shane asks and V chokes on air.

Their drinks arrive, Shane hands one to V who quickly takes a sip before clearing up the situation.

“We’re not an item,” he glances at Johnny who’s looking at him with dark eyes.

“What?” Shane sounds outright scandalized. “And here I was hoping for an insanely hot threesome with the two of you. What a shame.” He drinks down his own shot of tequila. “Well, guess then one of you has to satisfy me. What do you say, honey?” Shane moves to sit on Johnny’s lap in one fluid motion. V expects Johnny to push him off, but he doesn’t. Instead, he puts his hands on Shane’s waist, his thumbs slipping under the other’s tight shirt. 

Fierce jealousy rushes over V so suddenly he almost tells Shane to fuck off. He bites his tongue just in time, though, and is now left staring at Johnny over Shane’s shoulder. Johnny just raises an eyebrow at him and reaches for his drink.

Shane, oblivious to V’s inner turmoil, scoots even closer to Johnny and wraps an arm around Johnny’s shoulders, whispers something into his ear.

V is standing next to the booth with no idea how he got there, all he knows is that his ears are ringing and he needs to get out of the place.

“Alright, I’m leaving,” he hears himself say and then he’s rushing towards the exit.

Once outside V takes a deep breath, he clenches and unclenches his fists and wills himself to calm down. But then the image of Johnny pushing his thumbs over Shane’s skin pops into his head again and V sees red.

He storms away from the club, bitter jealousy burning a hole into his stomach, and just as he rounds a corner he hears someone run after him, yelling his name. Of course it’s Johnny.

“What the fuck, V?!” Johnny demands as he catches up with him and grabs V roughly by the upper arm. V shakes him off and keeps speed-walking in the direction of the apartment without saying a word. He’s had it up to here with Johnny’s goddamn antics and his obliviousness.

“Just leave me alone, okay?” V says eventually when Johnny just keeps following him to the apartment. By now they’ve reached the stairs of the Megabuilding and are waiting for the elevator.

“What the hell has gotten into you? We were havin’ a good night and you just up and run out of nowhere?” The elevator arrives and they get on it. V punches the button for their floor with much more force than necessary.

“Maybe you were having a good night, Johnny.” They get out on the service floor and Johnny keeps following V down the hall and up the stairs like he’s still just a brain parasite. V seriously considers just shutting the apartment door into his face. He really needs to be alone just for a few hours. But Johnny is having none of it and simply follows V through the door. It hisses shut behind them.

“What are you talking about? What the fuck is your problem, V?!” Johnny asks, clearly irritated, and V snaps. He turns around and crowds Johnny against the closed door.

“You wanna know what  _ my  _ problem is?” he spits out and stabs his index finger at Johnny’s chest. “It’s you, you fucking selfish asshole! I bet you think it’s funny, too! That I’m just some stupid pining gonk. Bet you get a real kick out of it!” V jabs his finger at Johnny again and then spins around to get as far away from him as possible.

He doesn’t get very far, though. Johnny’s metal hand closes around V’s wrist like a vice and he’s abruptly yanked back, a second later his back collides with the door and now it’s Johnny who’s pushing him against it.

“There’s one thing you’re right about,” Johnny growls, voice impossibly low and V hates that it goes straight to his dick. Johnny’s ‘ganic hand grips hard at the short hair at the back of V’s head. “You’re a stupid gonk.”

V wants to protest but as soon as he opens his mouth Johnny seals it shut with his own in a near brutal kiss. At first it’s so unexpected V doesn’t react at all but then his brain catches up and he fists his hands into Johnny’s tank, pulling him as close as possible.

Johnny slots a thigh in between V’s and pushes up, at the same time he bites V’s bottom lip hard enough to draw blood and V whimpers. He slides one hand up and into Johnny’s hair, the other finds its way to his ass and V squeezes. Johnny groans and sucks at V’s bloody lip, he grinds his thigh up against V’s already half-hard cock and V spreads his legs wider to get even more friction.

They make out against the door until they’re both breathless and V feels like his dick is about to fall off from chafing against his jeans.

“Bed,” V pants against Johnny’s lips and starts pushing him backwards towards the corner of the room. The backs of Johnny’s legs hit the base of the bed and he falls backwards onto the mattress. He reaches his hand out to drag V down on top of him but V shakes his head and gets down on his knees instead.

Johnny pushes himself up on his elbows and watches as V pulls off his shoes and starts unbuttoning his leather pants. True to himself Johnny isn’t wearing any underwear and so his erection springs free as soon as V gets his pants out of the way.

He has to admit, it’s a beautiful cock, and even though V didn’t really get a good look during their first bit of fun, he does believe Johnny when he said they got his dick right when remodelling him.

V wastes no more time before he fists one hand around the girthy length and leans down to suck the head between his lips. Johnny thanks him with a drawn-out moan and his flesh and blood hand finds its way back into V’s hair.

V works his tongue around the head, probes against Johnny’s slit and licks down the thick vein on the side of his cock. When V reaches for his balls Johnny almost knees him in the head and V chuckles around him and holds his thigh down more firmly with his free arm.

Eventually, Johnny’s grip in V’s hair tightens and he starts pulling. V slides off his cock with a soft sound and looks at him expectantly.

“As much as I’d love to come down your throat, I got other plans for tonight. Take off your pants.”

“And what are those plans?” V asks with a grin as he strips out of his shoes, jeans and tank, leaving him in only his boxer briefs.

“Those too,” Johnny says, nodding at V’s underwear and V pushes them down his legs and steps out of them.

Johnny gets up on his knees on the mattress and molds his hands around V’s ribs, framing his body. He pushes his lips against V’s abs and says, “I’m gonna fuck you until all you remember is how to scream my name.” 

A full-body shudder shakes V from head to toe and V’s sure Johnny felt it. He laughs against his stomach and bites the soft flesh of his abdomen.

“Fuck,” V mumbles.

Johnny slides his metal hand down to V’s backside and teasingly pushes a fingertip between his cheeks. V shivers, if from the intrusion or in excitement he isn’t quite so sure.

“Alright, get on the bed,” Johnny instructs and V does so eagerly. “On your back, want to see you.”

Something catches in V’s chest but he does as he’s told, propping up his feet on the mattress and shoving a pillow under his hips. Johnny gets the lube from where he knows V stashes it and squeezes a liberal amount over the fingers of his right hand.

“Been a while since I fingered a guy so lemme know if it’s hurtin’ ya, okay.”

“What, like fifty years?” V jokes as he pulls one leg to his chest to give Johnny more room.

“More like sixty.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fi—,” but the rest of the word gets swallowed by V’s moan as Johnny pushes the first fingertip into him. 

He’s definitely done that before, V can tell, but he’s also lacking finesse. V couldn’t really care less in the moment, though, all that matters to him right now is getting prepped enough to take Johnny’s cock. That’s why, when Johnny’s had three fingers buried inside him for a few minutes, V tells him he’s ready.

“Fucking finally,” Johnny mumbles and pulls his fingers free. He wipes them on what V’s pretty sure is his shirt but he’s too turned on to care.

Johnny picks up the lube again and coats his dick, giving himself a few cursory strokes. He lines himself up and presses the blunt head of his erection against V’s hole.

“Ready?”

V rolls his eyes, “I was ready yesterday. Get on with it.” Then he hooks his leg around Johnny’s middle and pulls his hips flush against his ass.

They moan in unison as Johnny slides in deep, pushed past any resistance by V’s eagerness to feel him fully inside. V’s reaches blindly for Johnny, meets his upper arm and drags him close to give him a bruising kiss that’s more panting and biting than actual kissing.

Johnny lets his forehead rest on V’s sternum, huffing hot breaths against his skin, and begins to slowly pull out before he pushes back in. It takes him a moment but soon he adapts a steady rhythm that has V seeing stars every time he slides home.

V buries his hands in Johnny’s hair and cards his fingers through the sweaty strands as Johnny scatters kisses and bites all over his chest and neck. He takes one of V’s nipples between his lips, rolls it gently and then he sucks, drawing a stream of colorful curses from V and making his back arch.

“Hmm, like that, do you?” Johnny teases and V wants to punch him in his smug face.

“Would like it more if you’d touch my dick,” he gasps instead and Johnny grins against his chest before licking over the abused nipple.

Eventually, Johnny does actually put a hand on V’s cock and when he does V stutters out a moan that’s very close to his name. Johnny strokes him in tandem to his thrusts and soon V feels oncoming orgasm tug at his insides.

Johnny’s rhythm has also started to get more and more erratic and when V crosses his legs behind his back and pulls Johnny in as deep as he can Johnny swears loudly and stills for a second.

“‘S okay,” V pants, “I’m close, too.”

Apparently, those words were all Johnny needed. He pulls out once more before sheathing himself again completely and then comes with a groaned, drawn-out “Fuck”.

V can feel Johnny’s cock pulse inside him, his fingers twitch around V’s dick and that, paired with the picture of Johnny blissed out on top of him, is all it takes for V to also tip over the edge, Johnny’s name on his tongue.

For a few minutes the only sound in the apartment is their labored breathing and Nibble’s quiet meowing. Then Johnny eases out of V and drops down heavily next to him. V grabs the shirt Johnny used to wipe off his fingers earlier and swipes it over his own stomach, then he curls up on his side to look at Johnny. As he does so he feels some of Johnny’s come leaking out of him.

“You fucked me without a condom.”

Johnny props himself up on one arm. “Are you for real right now? I’m fake, my dick is fake, my jizz is fake. Why would I use a condom?”

V laughs. “Fair enough.”

“What?” Johnny asks after V’s just been looking at him for a few minutes. The way his dark hair sticks to his sweaty forehead, how his pupils are still blown wider from arousal, the flush in his chest.

“Nothing.” V smiles, then he gets up and walks over to the couch to grab his smokes. He can feel Johnny’s gaze on his ass.

V lights a cig, takes a long drag and exhales with a sigh. When he turns around Johnny is sitting at the edge of the mattress, feet on the floor. V saunters over to him, takes another drag and straddles Johnny’s legs. He threads the hand not holding the cigarette into Johnny’s hair and tilts his head back. Johnny smirks at him and obediently parts his lips, knowing exactly what V was planning. V leans down and exhales the smoke into Johnny’s mouth who breathes in the nicotine eagerly.

“We prolly shouldn’t abuse your brand-new lungs like that,” V whispers against Johnny’s lips.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Johnny replies and then he catches V in a deep kiss. It’s no less intense than their earlier ones but somehow it feels even more intimate. V all but melts in Johnny’s lap.

“Shower?” V eventually asks after they spent a good few minutes kissing lazily, V almost forgot the cig in his hand and nearly burned his fingers. 

Johnny hums affirmatively and V’s slides off his lap and holds out a hand to pull him up.

“Come on, old man.”

“Nearly everything about me is only a few weeks old.”

“Well, the part that’s important is fuckin’ ancient.” V laughs.

Johnny takes V’s hand and lets himself be dragged up.

“Fuck off,  _ Vincent _ .”

Warmth spreads through V’s entire body at Johnny’s affectionate tone and the unexpected use of his given name, and when he pulls Johnny under the shower stream a minute later and Johnny lets out an undignified squawk at the still-cold water, V thinks that maybe, just maybe, they both got lucky in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!  
> Comments and kudos are highly appreciated and if there's something you'd like to read about these two feel free to let me know. I might write some more.


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